Harp on Happy

March 8, 2018

“Obsessed by a fairy tale, we spend our lives searching for a magic door and a lost kingdom of peace.”

– Eugene O’ Neill

Some search for it in the rumoured pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Some, in the comforting arms of a loved one, wrapped round them on a chilly winter’s eve. Some, in the vibrant colored makeup hanging in the display, And some, in the perfect shape of their bodies as they sway.

The world today repeatedly attempts to tell you how discontented you ought to be: In the advertisement that runs on the television - telling you the sedan you bought just last month definitely needs an upgrade, since the new range features a host of swankier colors which are more likely to get you noticed. In the song that plays on your radio-with the singer belting out that he’s crazily in love with the shape of you – and as a bonus, he’ll throw in some emotions as well. In the magazine spreads that urge you to try the newest celeb endorsed diets, guaranteed to help you shed those extra kilos in a jiffy, followed by a detailed indulgent chocolate cake recipe.

So you go on an unhealthy crash diet, sweat it out at the gym, spend money you don’t always have, to buy things you know you don’t really need–and the next morning you open social media to a headline that reads ‘ No matter how fabulous you think you are, you’ll NEVER be as fabulous as celeb X!’ That seems absolutely disheartening; but it doesn’t have to be!

I’d like you to pause and introspect, gentle reader – Is all the pomp and splendor of this fleeting life truly ever enough? There’s always something bigger and better– and for all the days we exhaust trying to find the other worldly magical garden of happiness, we fail to notice the beautiful buds of contentment that have been blossoming in our backyards all along!

Instead of running the rat race, why not run the race against the person you were yesterday, further building up character, honing your skills, pursuing your passions and becoming the best version of you that only you can be? Perhaps taking a few moments out of each day to count your blessings, and enriching someone’s life by sharing some of those blessings with them?

For happiness is not merely a destination, a possession nor a consumable. It is the soulful experience that comes from living every minute with love, grace and a heart filled with gratitude.

Why not choose to pursue true happiness today?

by Angelica Rosario

A full-time makeup artist and music educator based out of Mumbai, Angelica loves employing her artistic flair & brushes to paint faces and canvases alike, and channels her passion for music & writing into painting pictures for the soul.